Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume I: A Kingdom Divided

Lesson 19 Hosea’s Vision of God’s Covenant
the Second Book of the Kings 15:8–31
the Book of Hosea 1:1–10
the Book of Hosea 2:1–7
the Book of Hosea 2:10
the Book of Hosea 2:13–14
the Book of Hosea 2:16—3:5
the Book of Hosea 8:1–5
the Book of Hosea 11:9–12
the Book of Hosea 13:4

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
next lesson: Isaiah Foresees Immanuel’s Birth

This material coordinates with Lesson 19 on pages 113–119 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

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“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, and I showed myself their Master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”—the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34

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welcome to Volume I of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume I of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided contains 28 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 23-lesson Volume II: Restoration & Redemption also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page..

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open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Second Book of the Kings 14:1—15:7, the Book of Amos 4:12, the Book of Amos 5:14–15, the Book of Amos 5:18, the Book of Amos 5:21–24, the Book of Amos 7:10–17, the Book of Amos 9:8–14, the Book of Joel 2:1–2, the Book of Joel 2:12–14a, and the Book of Joel 2:27–32
In Lesson 18 Amos Foretells Doom for Israel, Amaziah succeeds his father Joash as king of Judah, and although Amaziah serves the LORD he doesn’t attain the same level of holiness as David. He achieves military success against Edom, but his attack on the northern kingdom ends in disaster. Jehoash, Jehu’s son, captures Amaziah and forces him to pay a steep tribute to the north. Jehoash’s son Jeroboam II ascends to the throne in Israel, and continues to follow in the sins of his namesake, the first northern king. Amaziah eventually is slain, and his son Azariah begins reigning over Judah. The Second Book of the Chronicles records that Azariah is struck with leprosy after he attempts to take on the priestly role of offering incense in the Temple. Azariah’s son Jotham governs in his father’s stead and ascends to the throne when Azariah dies. Meanwhile, Amos and Joel, who prophesy to Israel and Judah respectively, warn against the coming of the day of the LORD. (In the Revised Standard Version and some other translations, Jehoash sometimes is referred to as Joash, making it easy to confuse him with the ruler of the southern kingdom who also is called by both names. Azariah also is referred to as Uzziah. In the commentary for this study, the son of Jehoash is designated as Jeroboam II.)

map notes—the northern kingdom begins losing land to Assyria
The Second Book of the Kings 15:19–20 records that Menahem, king of Israel, staves off an Assyrian threat with a large bribe of silver. This successfully halts more assaults during Menahem’s lifetime as well as during the two-year reign of his son Pekahiah. After Pekah assassinates Pekahiah and takes the throne, the relationship with Assyria turns sour. The Assyrians resume their attacks on the northern kingdom. This time the Assyrians lay claim to land closest to their own territory—Ijon, Abel Beth-Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, the regions of Gilead and Galilee, and all of the area occupied by descendants of Naphtali. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 118 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. 

things could be even worse (38:11)
In the video overview for lesson 19, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps points out that the biblical text criticizes the current crop of rulers in the north for failing to abolish the sinful worship practices established by their first king, Jeroboam. As bad as things are, the religious situation in Israel was much worse under Ahab’s rule. It’s thanks to Jehu’s killing spree in which he murdered anyone who had anything to do with Ahab that the worship of Baal no longer is considered the state religion in the north. Israel now is a polytheistic state with a variety of accepted religions. The book of Exodus 20:5 explains why tolerating the worship of idols remains problematic for the descendants of Jacob: “for I the LORD your God am a jealous God … .”

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. You can follow along with the video as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 19, “Hosea’s Vision of God’s Covenant,” on pages 113–119 in the study book.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about the assassinations in Israel?
The murder of Zechariah removes the last of Jehu’s descendants from power in the northern kingdom.

?  How long does Zechariah reign before he’s killed by Shallum?
?  How long does Shallum reign before he’s killed by Menahem?
?  How long does Menahem reign?
?  According to the biblical text, what two things characterize Menahem’s reign?
?  Under what circumstances does Pekahiah succeed Menahem?
?  How long does Pekahiah reign before he’s killed by Pekah?
?  How long does Pekah reign before he’s killed by Hoshea?
?  What effect might these frequent changes in rulers have on diplomatic relations between Israel and its neighbors?
?  Consider what day-to-day life would be like for inhabitants of the northern kingdom during this tumultuous time.
?  Describe diplomatic relations between Israel and Assyria during Pekah’s reign.
?  Are diplomatic relations between Israel and Assyria likely to change once Hoshea begins ruling the northern kingdom?

breaking the cycle of justice
Although the prophets speak for God, in the case of Hosea the LORD uses the prophet’s life as a sign to the people and as a commentary on the situation in Israel at the time. When Hosea is asked to marry someone he knows will be unfaithful, the new image of God as a faithful spouse is introduced. This doesn’t mean that God is OK with his people being unfaithful, however. The LORD had used Jehu to punish the infidelity of Ahab and Ahab’s line, but that created another problem as the cycle of justice initiated by the sins of Jeroboam continues. The punishment of the northern kingdom increases to match the sins committed by the kings. Hosea’s prophecies demonstrate what God intends to do to break this tragic cycle. Justice demands punishment. God has been trying to bring the people back to faith by intervening in their political affairs. Northern kings who’ve been leading the people astray have been punished by violent means. Now God is removing his protection and allowing just punishment to play out against all of the people in the entire kingdom. As a result, we can expect that Israel isn’t going to fare well in the geopolitical arena. The second volume of this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, addresses this reality in detail.

Hosea provides biblical names for Matthew’s pets
God’s surprising solution for how to help his people is to marry them, despite their unfaithfulness. The names of Hosea’s three children represent the LORD’s attitude toward the people of the north—Jezreel, Not Pitied, and Not My People. These names represent what happens as a result of Israel’s adulterous relationship with God. Click on the picture to learn which two names Matthew gave to his pet cats.

an unexpected result
Even though the LORD appears to renounce his relationship with his people in the Book of Hosea 1:8–9, in the next verse God promises: “Yet the number of people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Sons of the living God.’ ” The LORD has tolerated infidelity on the part of his people, protecting them from the worst consequences of their actions. The only way to redeem them is to let them experience the consequences of their unfaithfulness. From this will come faithful sons of the living God. Allowing the people to experience the consequences of their behavior satisfies the demands of justice and is the means God uses to change his relationship with them into one that’s more fruitful. Consider what this situation teaches about original sin and free will.

covenant—you could look it up in our archives
The idea of a union between divinity and humanity appears throughout Scripture. The prophet Hosea uses the image of a marriage to describe God’s “covenant” relationship with his people. In the Church, the sacrament of marriage between a man and a woman is considered a covenant. The Gospel According to John 3:29 builds on that theme when John the Baptist refers to Jesus as a bridegroom, suggesting that Jesus’ mission on earth is one of courtship. Learn more about how the idea of a covenant is familial and about how it applies to present-day Christians by reading Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week. Learn more about John the Baptist in Lesson 2 And This Is the Testimony of John in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

?  What might explain why God remains confident that his people will return to him?
?  What does Hosea predict will be the result of the people being allowed to pursue their own interests?
?  What are those interests?
?  Consider why receiving what we think we desire isn’t always satisfying.

prophecy pointing to Jesus
The Book of Hosea 2:17 foretells a time when God is going to remove the names of the Baals from the mouth of Israel. Present-day fulfillment of this prophecy is obvious, but in a broader sense the Baals can be understood as referring to anything false. The prophet foretells a future change. The cycle of justice that requires punishment for sin is unsustainable. The Old Testament prophets are given a unique vision of what’s possible when God espouses his people forever. In the north at the time of Hosea, there was no option for mercy to bind with justice. The LORD needs to establish a mechanism for mercy, which will happen through the salvation brought about by Jesus, especially in the Church. God intends to marry his people in a new way by making a New Covenant with them.

the price of salvation
The sign of the prophet buying a bride in the Book of Hosea 3:1–5 is a sign that foreshadows the way in which God brings about our redemption. Jesus pays the price for our sins by taking upon himself the punishment due to us—death. Humanity has been purchased at a great price. This means that we’re the property of Jesus and no longer belong to ourselves. We’re able to choose whom we will serve—Jesus or the world—but not whether we’ll serve. In choosing Jesus we choose a life of service to God. Choosing the world is choosing death. Choosing Jesus and life requires making an immediate, active decision to follow God’s will; to delay making a choice has the same result as choosing the world.

they shall return to David
The prophesied return that’s described in the Book of Hosea 3:5 doesn’t look like it will be what the people of Israel might think they want. The kingdom will again be united, but only a remnant of Israel is going to be restored. In this prophecy, God is speaking to the people and not to their leaders. The prophets will continue to de-legitimatize the kings. The LORD is setting up the dynamic for Israel that birth doesn’t determine membership in the kingdom. Fdelity and choice are what’s required.

Ephraim versus Israel
The northern kingdom goes by the name of Israel, which carries with it implications of being the descendants of Jacob chosen by God to be his people. In the Book of Hosea 11:9, however, the LORD promises not to destroy Ephraim, using the name of one of Joseph’s two sons to describe the entire northern kingdom. Joseph was the favored son of Jacob, and Ephraim was the Egyptian-born son of Joseph who was adopted by Jacob and who received the blessing as Joseph’s firstborn—even though Manasseh was born first. Hosea’s prophecy identifies the remnant of people who will survive as those most favored by God, something that has nothing to do with heredity or geography.

a roaring lion
The Book of Hosea 11:10 prophesies a strange thing—the people of the north who return to faithful worship of the LORD will respond when they hear God roaring like a lion. The lion as a symbol for Judah is based on Jacob’s blessing found in the book of Genesis 49:9. The northern kingdom is going to be destroyed, and its people deported and scattered. Never again will there be two kingdoms. The southern kingdom of Judah, however, will be restored. At some future date, any faithful people who once lived in the north will be free to return to the south. In God’s view, his people include all of the descendants of Jacob—not just those from the tribe of Judah. You can learn why the lion became symbolic of the people of Judah in Lesson 28 Jacob’s Final Words to His Sons in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

biblical vocabulary—savior
Christians find the passage recorded in the Book of Hosea 13:4 to be eerily prophetic in the way it points to Jesus as Savior: “I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.” In addition, the prophet’s name—Hosea—means “savior” or one who saves or protects. At the heart of the Christian message is the link between salvation and safety. Consider what conditions must be met for you to experience absolute safety.

what’s happening when & where
Click on the timeline for Lesson 19 to expand it. It also appears on page 119 in the study book.
Scholars speculate that the prophet Joel may have lived as early as the 9th century B.C. or as late as the 4th century B.C. The Book of Joel is the focus of Lesson 15 Joel & the Day of the LORD in the second volume of this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. (“Inconclusive Dates,” the commentary box on page 119 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, addresses the inconsistency in dates for the reign of Pekah in the northern kingdom.)

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the following passages from this lesson: the Second Book of the Kings 15:8–31, the Book of Hosea 2:10, the Book of Hosea 2:13–14, the Book of Hosea 8:1–5, and the the Book of Hosea 13:4.

the Book of Hosea 1:1–11—paragraph 762
the Book of Hosea 1:3—paragraph 1611
the Book of Hosea 2:1—paragraph 441
the Book of Hosea 2:1–23—paragraph 218
the Book of Hosea 2:7—paragraph 2380
the Book of Hosea 2:21–22—paragraph 2787
the Book of Hosea 11:9—paragraph 208

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Second Book of the Kings 15:8–31 (NIV)
the Book of Hosea 1:1–10 (NIV)
the Book of Hosea 2:1–7 (NIV)
the Book of Hosea 2:10 (NIV)
the Book of Hosea 2:13–14 (NIV)
the Book of Hosea 2:16—3:5 (NIV)
the Book of Hosea 8:1–5 (NIV)
the Book of Hosea 11:9–12 (NIV)
the Book of Hosea 13:4 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.

O God, you sent the prophet Hosea 
to demonstrate that your love for humanity
is like the love of a husband who remains loyal to an unfaithful wife.
Give us the grace to return your love.
We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
who through his Passion, death, and Resurrection
allows us to participate in the union between the human and the divine. Amen.

Lesson 20 Isaiah Foresees Immanuel’s Birth—the Second Book of the Kings 15:32—16:20, the Book of Isaiah 6:1–13, the Book of Isaiah 7:1–17, the Book of Isaiah 8:14—9:7, and the Book of Isaiah 11:1–10
Lesson 18 Amos Foretells Doom for Israel—the Second Book of the Kings 14:1—15:7, the Book of Amos 4:12, the Book of Amos 5:14–15, the Book of Amos 5:18, the Book of Amos 5:21–24, the Book of Amos 7:10–17, the Book of Amos 9:8–14, the Book of Joel 2:1–2, the Book of Joel 2:12–14a, and the Book of Joel 2:27–32

you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

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start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets— Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. Information about beginning this or one of our other Turning to God’s Word Bible studies can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I always are available to answer your Bible-study questions or concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

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*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Scripture on the online study pages for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided links to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE). The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.